Lab

We’re analyzing phospholipid fatty acids in soils! Different microbial groups have differently structured fatty acids in their cell membranes, which can show us how microbial communities differ between soils. For example, fungi are particularly sensitive to disturbance, so avoiding things like tillage can help increase fungi in the soil, which in turn helps stabilize soils and protect organic matter 🦠 🧫 🥼.

I used this machine 💻 to measure enzymes 🦠 in the soil 🪴 I collected last summer🌞! We mix soil with special substances that fluoresce when they are broken down by enzymes in the soil, then measure that fluorescence using this machine.

One dirt milkshake please, hold the milk We analyze soil texture by measuring the density of a soil slurry over 24 hours- larger particles (sand and silt) will slowly settle to the bottom of the cylinder, while small particles (clay) will stay suspended.

Got to use this crazy contraption last week! Most of the soil breaks apart and falls through the sieves when it’s dunked in water, but stronger soil aggregates hold together and stay on top, which lets us measure “Soil Aggregate Stability.

So many soil enzymes to test! Part of this project is figuring out what soil properties can best indicate how soil health changes when we convert annual cropping systems to perennials.

Nitrate analysis, Step 1: Shake soil samples with some salty water to extract nutrients that are bound to soil particles. Step 2: In the tiny wells of this plate, add that salty water + chemicals that turn purple when they react with nitrate.

Pipetting party! We’re measuring the activities of 11 different enzymes in our soil samples. Microorganisms in the soil produce enzymes for decomposition and to transform nutrients into forms they (and plants!